Ms Ahmed brought a claim under s.69 of the Equality Act 2010 after she found out that she was paid £440 per episode of Newswatch and Jeremy Vine was paid £3,000 per episode of Points of View. She argued that they were like work and therefore the only reason for the difference in pay could… Read more »
Article Category: Employment Law & HR – Insight & Opinion
Is Wishing Someone Happy Birthday an Act of Age Discrimination?
In short, no. This stems from the case of Ms. H Munro v Sampson Coward LLP where the Employment Tribunal had to consider whether comments regarding Ms Munro’s 50th birthday amounted to age discrimination and harassment. Ms Munro also claimed that she suffered a detriment and was dismissed on the grounds of whistle-blowing. In relation… Read more »
Office Romances: How can these be Regulated?
Mr Steve Easterbrook, the now former Chief Executive of McDonald’s, has mutually agreed for his employment to be terminated following a consensual relationship with another employee. This follows the resignation of Mr Brian Krzanich, former Chief Executive of Intel Corp, in June 2018 who resigned following a consensual relationship with another employee. These cases exemplify… Read more »
Could Being an Ethical Vegan Be a Protected Philosophical Belief Under the Equality Act 2010?
The employment tribunal are considering the case of Casamitjana v League Against Cruel Sports, where for the first time ethical veganism — the philosophical belief by an ‘ethical vegan’ — comes into question. Should it qualify for protection under the Equality Act 2010 and what does this mean for employers? Jordi Casamitjana is an ethical… Read more »
Birthdays at Work: How Comments Can Lead to Age Discrimination and Whistleblowing Claims
In Ms H Munro v Sampson Coward LLP, the Employment Tribunal considered whether comments regarding Ms Munro’s birthday amounted to age discrimination and harassment. Ms Munro also claimed that she suffered detriment and dismissal on the grounds of whistleblowing when she informed her employer of the comments. Background Ms Munro, a legal secretary in the… Read more »
Dealing with Mental Health Illness and Discrimination at Work
10th October 2019 marked World Mental Health Day, an annual campaign designed to raise awareness of mental health illness. According to the most recent statistics provided by Mental Health First Aid England, there were 526,000 cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in Great Britain which accounts for approximately 72 million working days lost, costing… Read more »
Unfair Dismissal of a Pregnant Employee
What lead to the Unfair Dismissal of a Pregnant Employee? For the following article, we look at the case of Peart v Care Preference Ltd, which demonstrates a series of events that lead to the unfair dismissal of a pregnant employee. It is also important to be aware of how to ensure you treat pregnant… Read more »
Compulsory Liquidation: What Does This Mean for Employees of Thomas Cook?
On 23 September 2019, Thomas Cook entered into compulsory liquidation after last-minute rescue talks failed. This resulted in Thomas Cook ceasing to trade with immediate effect and its board of directors being replaced by a court-appointed liquidator known as the Official Receiver (OR). The OR’s task over the coming months will be to liquidate Thomas… Read more »
‘Discriminatory’ Public Sector pension changes likely to bring increased claims for employers
In 2015, the Government decided to enforce public sector pension changes due to the overbearing costs and change to average lifetime earnings. By moving away from final salary pension schemes, a ‘transitional protection’ scheme was introduced instead. This new scheme kept public sector workers closer to retirement age on a more generous pension. It also… Read more »
Discrimination Arising From Disability: Was Dismissal Discriminatory Despite Employer Not Knowing of Disability Until Appeal Hearing?
Most employers understand that the purpose of an appeal hearing following a dismissal is to review the decision for dismissal and deal with any appeal points raised. However, what if the employee provides new information at the appeal stage that the original decision maker was unaware of at the time of making the dismissal decision?… Read more »